


A West Coast Visit

by carolinenite



Series: The McAvoys, a family of 5 [2]
Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, far into the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 11:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9723743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinenite/pseuds/carolinenite
Summary: Will and Mac are headed to the West Coast to meet their second grandchild.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A short one-shot that wouldn't get out of my head until I put it on paper (which is ironic given how absent I've been from AO3 lately).

Mackenzie looked out the window of the commercial jet and sighed contentedly.  She reached for Will’s hand and tenderly gripped it.  After 30 years of marriage, they had both slowed down considerably, but were, blessedly, still as sharp as ever mentally.

“Alright honey?” he asked.

“Sure,” she offered him a bright smile.  “It’s all just a little surreal, though. Isn’t it?”

“Wouldn’t be if you’d have let me schedule a private plane,” he muttered.  She gently swatted his knee.  “Yes, it is a little.”

“Our second grandchild,” she said reverently.  “Can you even fathom Charlie with two children?”

Will shrugged, purposefully inciting his wife.  “He did okay with Morgan.  What’s one more?”

Mac give him a withering look and reached up to press the call button above them.  An attendant appeared immediately.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“May I please have a glass of wine, whatever you’ve got chilled, and a parachute for my husband?  He won’t be making the rest of the trip with his current attitude.”  She smiled angelically at the mildly confused flight attendant.

“Just the wine for her and a club soda for me, please,” Will said, squeezing Mackenzie’s arm.

“That,” Mac said, once the woman had gone to retrieve their drinks, “is why we fly commercial.  The bimbos on the charter jets have even less of a sense of humor than that young lady.”

“Mac, she’s probably 40.”

“Oh, so you’re better than twice her age, then?” she offered with a smile.

“And you’re getting there, grandma.”

“Not quite yet, thank you.  I’m still younger than you.”

“Yes, you are, honey.”

He accepted the drinks from the attendant with a smile and a nod.

“Do you think it’s out of obligation?”

Will shook his head.  “What are we talking about?”

“Naming the baby after Lee.””

“Well, first…”

“Oh good, a list!”

Will continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted.  “First, her middle name is Leona.  It’s not likely they went digging in the obligation box for a middle name.  One A, Lee was as much of a grandparent to both of them as their biological grandparents were.  It seems right.  And last, it’s not really any of our business.”

“Do you think they’re moving too fast?  Two babies in three years is a lot for anyone, and Allison is younger than Charlie.  Younger than the twins even.”

“Once again, first, you don’t think that the time to be concerned about this was before a wedding and two babies?  Second, Don and Sloan raised a good girl in Allie, and we should be thankful that the kids figured it out so much earlier than us.”  He paused.  “Or Don and Sloan,” he added as an afterthought.

“You’re right.  I know you are.  I think I’m nervous.”

“Honey,” he began, taking her hand, “there’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“What if the new baby doesn’t like me?”

“You’re getting senile in your old age, Mac.  Morgan loves you to pieces.  He can’t get enough of his Gramma, and baby Emma is going to fall for you, too.  Now, honey, please, stop worrying, and do something constructive.  Harass the girls about graduate school.  Bully Maggie into a reorg; President Emeritus has to have some perks.”  He smiled indulgently at his wife.  “Want to read the next chapter of my book?”  Mac nodded enthusiastically.  “Only if you say nice things.”

She crossed her heart with her index finger.  Will pulled a legal bag from the bag at his feet and handed it to her.

“It’s mildly appalling that you’re hand-writing this.”

“Is that a nice thing to say, Mackenzie?”  Will raised an eyebrow at her.  “And it’s just the first draft.  Besides that, it’s great work for an intern.”

“At what point are you going to stop taking on interns, Billy?  You’ve been retired for ten years.”

“When they stop applying, I’ll stop taking them on.  I still look good on a resume.”  He puffed up proudly.  “And you, my dear, still have an assistant.”

“That’s reasonable!” she replied indignantly.  “I’ve only been retired for six months, and I’m busier now that I ever was before.  Your interns type your notes and bother Jenna about stories.”

“And learn musical theatre history.  You’re welcome, America.”

Mac leaned in for a quick kiss and gently stroked Will’s cheek with the pad of her thumb.

“I guess we’ve done okay, Mr. McAvoy.”

“Better than okay, Miss McHale.”

 

As they were collecting their bags, Mac gasped in surprise as she was pulled into a hug.

“Sloan!”  She returned to embrace.  “I didn’t think you were arriving until tonight.”

“We caught an earlier flight.  Granddad over here was anxious to be on our way.”  She cut her eyes at Don and lowered her voice.  “Still no chill at all, that one.”

“I can still hear you, you know!”

“No, you can’t!” Sloan responded emphatically.  “Hey bro.”

“Hi, sis.”  Wil kissed her cheek.  “Don.”

“Will.”

“You two knock it off.”  Sloan squeezed Don’s arm.

“His son…”

“Enough,” Mac interjected.  “It’s been 5 years.  They’re married.  They’re happy.  This is a good thing!”

Don furrowed his brow good-naturedly before pulling Will into a hug which was warmly returned.  They had been having this mock war since the first day that Allie had come home doe-eyed over ‘that Charlie McAvoy’.  For the first several weeks, even Maddie and Emi, the McAvoy twins, had been iffy on the situation before embracing the idea that one of their best friends might become a sister.  From there, Don protested, albeit half-heartedly, alone:  Allison was their only child; Charlie was six years older; they were so YOUNG!  At the end of the day, it was all for show, and Don was thrilled that his baby girl had found love that seemed true.

The foursome agreed to rent a car between them so that they would be able to come and go without inconveniencing the kids.   Charlie and Allison had a lovely home, the benefit of having Leona as a grandparent and the McAvoys and Sabbith-Keefers as parents.  However, six adults and two small children in one place were bound to get tight at some point.

 

As they pulled into the driveway, the front door was flung open, and Morgan, tall for his 2 ½ years, came barreling into the yard waving frantically.  Charlie was at his heels.  A gangly puppy tumbled out of the door after them, and Will shook his head with a smile.  _Just as big of a pushover as I was._   Allison came out of the house last, tiny bundle in her arms, looking serene.  _I guess with a family like ours, she’s got to be._ As Will watched his son and his wife embrace and his in-laws greet his grandchildren, he couldn’t help but be incredibly grateful for every single bump in the road, every triumph, and every defeat.  This moment wasn’t one he would trade for anything.

“Hey Dad,” Charlie said, making his way around the car.  “Come meet my daughter.  She’s perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Did you like it?


End file.
